Stator for electric motor having insulation sleeves to connect laminated core

Abstract

An electric motor includes a rotor and a stator. The stator includes laminated steel plates assembled in a stack, with axially extending openings that extend through the stack for receiving stator coil wires. Insulating inserts are provided, with one extending through each of the openings that receives a stator coil wire. The insulating inserts are formed as plate connecting inserts having a hollow body with a coil wire receiving channel, and a first end is slidably inserted into one of the axially extending openings and a second end with a head is seated against an axially outermost one of the plates. A first subset of the inserts are inserted with the respective heads on a first axial side of the stack, and a second subset of the inserts are inserted with the respective heads on a second axial side. Stator coil wires extend through the coil wire receiving channels.

1 . An electric motor, comprising:
 a rotor; and   a stator, the rotor being mounted for rotation within the stator, the stator including
 a plurality of laminated steel plates assembled in a stack, the steel plates including a plurality of axially extending openings that extend through the stack for receiving stator coil wires, 
 a plurality of insulating inserts, one of the insulating inserts extending through each of the openings that is adapted to receive at least one of the stator coil wires, and 
 at least some of the insulating inserts are plate connecting inserts, and the plate connecting inserts are each formed of a polymeric material and include a hollow body having an axially extending coil wire receiving channel, and a first end that is adapted to be slidably inserted into one of the axially extending openings and a second end with a head that is adapted to be seated against an axially outermost one of the laminated steel plates that form the stack, with at least a first subset of the plate connecting inserts being inserted such that the respective heads are on a first axial side of the stack and a second subset of the plate connecting inserts being inserted such that the respective heads are on a second axial side of the stack; and 
 stator coil wires extending through the axially extending coil wire receiving channels of the plate connecting inserts. 
   
     
     
         2 . The electric motor of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of insulating inserts all comprise the plate connecting inserts. 
     
     
         3 . The electric motor of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of plate connecting inserts are inserted in the axially extending openings in an alternating arrangement with respective heads of alternate ones of the plurality of insulating inserts being on the first axial side of the stack. 
     
     
         4 . The electric motor of  claim 1 , wherein the axially extending openings extend to the inner periphery of the stator, and the hollow bodies of the plate connecting inserts are open to the inner periphery of the stator. 
     
     
         5 . The electric motor of  claim 1 , wherein the plate connecting inserts are molded of a polymeric material. 
     
     
         6 . The electric motor of  claim 1 , wherein the channel has a rectangular cross-section. 
     
     
         7 . The electric motor of  claim 1 , wherein plate connecting inserts are bonded or adhered to the laminated steel plates. 
     
     
         8 . The electric motor of  claim 1 , wherein the plate connecting inserts have an interference fit with the respective axially extending openings. 
     
     
         9 . The electric motor of  claim 1 , wherein the plate connecting inserts extend past both the first axial side and the second axial side of the stack. 
     
     
         10 . The electric motor of  claim 1 , wherein each of the heads is generally rectangular and has concave walls that extend from a plate contact side of the head to a coil wire opening side of the head. 
     
     
         11 . A method of assembling a stator for an electric motor, the method comprising:
 laminating a plurality of steel plates together into a stack, the steel plates including a plurality of axially extending openings that extend through the stack for receiving stator coil wires;   inserting a plurality of insulating inserts into the axially extending openings, one of the insulating inserts extending through each of the openings that is adapted to receive at least one of the stator coil wires;   forming at least some of the insulating inserts as plate connecting inserts, and the plate connecting inserts are each formed of a polymeric material and include a hollow body having an axially extending coil wire receiving channel, and a first end that is adapted to be slidably inserted into one of the axially extending openings and a second end with a head that is adapted to be seated against an axially outermost one of the laminated steel plates that form the stack;   wherein the inserting includes inserting a first subset of the plate connecting inserts such that the respective heads are on a first axial side of the stack and inserting a second subset of the plate connecting inserts such that the respective heads are on a second axial side of the stack; and   installing stator coil wires through the axially extending coil wire receiving channels of the plate connecting inserts.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of insulating inserts all comprise the plate connecting inserts. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , the method further comprises the inserting including inserting the plurality of insulating inserts in the axially extending openings in an alternating arrangement with respective heads of alternate ones of the plurality of insulating inserts being on the first axial side of the stack. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the plate connecting inserts are molded of a polymeric material. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising adhering or bonding the plate connecting inserts to the laminated steel plates. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the plate connecting inserts have an interference fit with the respective axially extending openings. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising inserting the plate connecting inserts so that the first and second ends extend past the first axial side and the second axial side of the stack, respectively.